Community Leaders Focus on the Future

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by Dwayne T. Ervin

With over 30 Chicago Public Schoolchildren killed this school year in incidentsresulting in violence, ordinarypeople are doing extraordinary thingsand serving as a catalyst for change.From the South Suburbs, to Chatham toEnglewood, unsung heroes are makinga difference at the grass roots level inChicagos neighborhoods.

A small foundation doing big things inSouth Holland, Dolton and inRoseland, Tomorrows YouthFoundation works with 120 young peopleoffering academic, athletic andmentorship programs.

Courtland Wilson, the foundationsexecutive director said he tries to makesure extraordinary opportunities areavailable to children in the community.There is a need for a youth programout here, said Wilson. We work withkids to give them an experience theyare not exposed to, to prepare them foradulthood. Pointing to the role sportsplay in developing teambuilding skillshe said, Some children look up moreto their coaches than their fathersweare here to mentor them and not to playaround.

Wilson, who grew up on the SouthSide of Chicago in a fatherless home,draws from his own experiences wherehe looked up to his coach. He uses thatexperience to help mentor others.While he works full-time, he does notunderestimate the role of volunteersand the need for parent involvement.Running the foundation during his freetime, he also finds time to volunteer forHabitat For Humanity.

While the foundation works withyoung adults all year long, lastSaturday the Chatham BusinessAssociation (CBA) hosted a job fairpreparation workshop for local youth atICE Theaters at 210 W. 87th Street forstudents between the ages of 16 and 18.Students got help with finding jobs,writing resumes, researching companiesand received tips on preparing forinterviews. Julian, Hyde Park CareerAcademy and Harlan, were among thehigh schools that participated. On April25, students who came out to the fair,will be eligible to attend a job fair hostedby Chatham Business AssociationJuniors, a partnership between theDepartment of College and Careers atChicago Public Schools.

Working on Chicago South Side,Calvin Lane knows about job readinessand prepares young people for life ingeneral. He helps students findemployment at Robeson High Schoolwhere he works as a student advocateon behalf of students challenged bybehavioral issues. At Robeson, moststudents see they can do more thanhanging on the corner or working forMcDonaldswhat makes my daycomplete is to see students become collegegraduates, he said.

Most of the families he sees live inEnglewood and come from foster careor single-family homes. Lane, whocame to Robeson as a youth interventionspecialist, said, We deal with thewhole studentthe home environmenthas a lot to do with overall behavior andaccomplishments of every individualstudent. A former activist, he advisesstudents that the only person they haveto be better than is the person they wereyesterday.

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